Reviews Round-Up

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A comprehensive countdown of all the latest reviews from IGN Music.

By Spence D.

A ton of tunes have come out over the past several months, everything from major releases such as new albums from such well-known artists as Common and Korn on down to smaller efforts from less recognizable/newer outfits like Editors and Fair To Midland.

Just in case you might have missed a review or two, we decided to unload a Reviews Round-Up for you to peruse through over the weekend.

Rap, by its very nature, was meant to be aggressive and in your face; the kind of music you absolutely must bump in the trunk or at the house party. At its core it has always been like the urban version of rock 'n roll and punk rock combined, utilizing turgid rhythm surges and emphatic poetry in lieu of screaming guitars and shrieking vocals. In stark contrast to the standard blueprint of the genre Common persists in making mature sounding music that rises above the thunderous bass boom bap. As such he's become the de facto king of leftfield shift, leading the small charge that strives to bring listeners something set apart from the standard rap trappings. Naturally this testament to tenacity has allowed Common to fill a niche in the continuing battle against bling and bitches...

Korn continue to descend further into the Dark Carnival menagerie they first began exploring (to a certain degree) back on Issues, and brought even more into the foreground on their last proper studio release, See You On The Other Side. The stygian fairy tale ambience that saturated that album is carried over into the 13 tracks included here on what is their untitled eighth album of new material...

Some time around Christmas last season, I was asked to review the Drawn and Quartered EP from the band Fair to Midland. I was totally blown away and listened to the EP often while waiting for the band's full-length album to drop...

First things first: the Green Day song featured in the film is not contained here. Second things second: one has to wonder why Hans Zimmer is onboard for the score when the original music for the series was crafted by Danny Elfman. Third things third: this is largely a symphonic endeavor all but devoid of Zimmer's trademark electronic clash and circumstance. Fourth things fourth: Doh!...

If you've seen the kinetic trailers for the third and final installment in the popular Jason Bourne film series, then you might very well expect the soundtrack to be teeming with electronic intensity. Instead the album starts off with the rather standard orchestral stylings of "Six Weeks Ago." Granted the song shifts tone a bit toward the 2-minute, 10-second mark, incorporating sinister noir elements via tinkling percussion and detached industrial inclined wavers of reverb, but for the most part it follows the blueprint of classic film score music...

The dark, brooding sound of Editors' debut album, The Back Room, feels decidedly more hopeful this time around. In many ways, the sophomore album seems like the negative of their first. The stark soundscapes and triumphant lyrics have changed places here. The claustrophobic sound of the music has moved into a decidedly more optimistic and wide-open space. While front man Tom Smith's commanding vocals seemed to be in constant battle with the foreboding music, he now sounds reserved to defeat. The more upbeat rock-focused sound, Smith's powerful vocals, and themes revolving around death make Editors' latest sound like their take on The Smiths...

For his seventh solo album in as many years, John Vanderslice looked to the rejected visa application of his French girlfriend as his inspiration. The result is a fantastic album full of swirling emotional waves of vengeance, hatred, and confusion, chased by an overwhelming sense of paranoia throughout...